Rain Barrel Workshops

You can save money by conserving water with a rain barrel at your home. Plus, rain barrels help protect water quality.  Stormwater runoff can pick up debris, chemicals, dirt, pet wastes, and other pollutants and deposit them into waterbodies that we use for swimming, fishing, and drinking.  Runoff from a rainstorm or snowmelt is not treated at a wastewater treatment facility. Reducing stormwater runoff through the use of rain barrels also helps reduce stormwater pollution.

 

Collecting the rain is now LEGAL in Colorado.  Homeowner associations cannot prevent you from getting a rain barrel, but they may have aesthetic or location requirements.

Two 55-gallon rain barrels installed for residential use

Workshops

 

Please join us for one of our August 9, 2024 workshop!  The workshop will include a presentation on rain barrels and instructions on how to build your own rain barrel, a 55-gallon rain barrel, and connector kit. We will also provide you with an installation guide to help you connect your new rain barrel to a downspout.

  • SOLD OUT! August 9, 2024, 2-4pm, E-470 Administrative Building, 22470 E. Stephen D. Hogan Parkway, Suite 100, Aurora, CO 80018.

Please contact James Linden, Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority, at jlinden@semswa.org or (303)858-8844 to inquire about a scholarship for a workshop.

Please contact Lisa Knerr, Arapahoe County Environmental Program Manager at LKnerr@arapahoegov.com if you would like to be notified when we schedule additional workshops.

Want to get started now?  Check out the Colorado Stormwater Center’s http://stormwatercenter.colostate.edu/resources/rain-barrels/ for more information and videos on how to build and install a rain barrel. Also, their Rain Barrel Installation Guide is filled with helpful information on rain barrels. 

Also, here is a link to the workshop presentation.

Maintenance

  • Rain barrels will need to be winterized.

 

Installation

  • Install a rain barrel with a diverter.

  • The best material for a rain barrel is plastic.

  • Rain barrels range in size, shape, color, and functionality.

Uses

  • You CAN use rainwater on your garden, just not on your leafy greens.

  • Use the water in the rain barrel for watering your plants, trees, and lawn.

  • Add the water from your rain barrel to a water feature.

 

Rules for Rain Barrels in Colorado

  • Maximum of two rain barrels at each home with the combined storage of 110 gallons or less.

  • Barrels must have a sealable lid to prevent mosquitoes.

  • Used for only outdoor purposes

    • Garden irrigation (not leafy greens)

    • Plant and tree irrigation

    • Water features

    • Lawn irrigation

    • NO DRINKING!